Authors: Chris Swainston
Shop Talk with Brick & Mortar
Hondo opened SLC’s first ever skate-only shop, Brick & Mortar (561 W 200 S), on July 31. It’s a fresh lookin’ shop, but don’t get confused, it’s not FICE in there. Hondo says, “The way I see it, I can’t sell a pair of pants for $200 when that’s 20 hours of work or half of someone’s rent.” You’re only going to find useful skate products in this shop. … read more
Levi Faust: Iceman
“Iceman: it’s the way he flies, ice cold, no mistakes … ” That quote is right out of Top Gun and if you’ve ever seen Levi Faust skate, then you know it describes him perfectly. His focus is impeccable. You can see it in his face as he rolls up to a spot, feet perfectly placed, eyes locked on the target. He understands skating like most can never comprehend. I think it’s all the sugar he eats. … read more
SK801: It’s for the 801
SK801 started about six years ago on a trip to Denver. There was a video contest going on and all the kids wanted to be a part of, but they needed a crew name to enter. Nobody can really say who came up with it, but SK801 was the one that stuck. By the next summer the first SK801 video had dropped. After forming an LLC 7 months ago, and with the concept of having a free park for the community that was supported by a shop instilled in their minds, they started hunting for a space. … read more
Age of Everlast
With how quickly today’s acceleration of digital camera technology is growing, it makes it almost a financial impossibility to keep up. In less than ten years, digital cameras have almost completely replaced film. I remember when buying a new camera, I had no doubts about its functionality. I never took into consideration how old it was or how many shots it had fired. The cameras were built to last, made of metals not plastics. … read more
Conserving A Culture, Framing The Future: Skate 4 Homies
“I wanted to do something that was a collective good, to show kids that they can be good and do good things together and have good things happen,” says Todd Ingersoll, founder of Skate 4 Homies. It was a little over a year ago when Ingersoll had the idea to create a non-profit organization focused around the preservation of skateboarding through youth mentoring programs. “Really, what [Skate 4 Homies] is all about is giving back, doing the community a service.” … read more
Rocky Hudson Jr.
Skating with Rocky Hudson Jr. usually starts off with a twist and a flat ground session. He carves around tranquil and smooth, popping no-complies and thunderous switch heels. He’s got massive pop—you’ll never see a worm burner out of Rocky. For Rocky, skateboarding is all for the love: The whole experience of going out to film tricks, playing games of skate in empty parking lots and always having a reason for a road trip keeps him pushing. … read more
Let It Be.
Josh Martinez has become one of the most dedicated and motivated skate filmers in Utah. His everyday mission is to get up early and stay out all day, filming. He has spots from Las Vegas to Reno and is never short of an idea on where to go. “I just like filming. I love making skateboarding films and working with people that want to skateboard and make something happen,” says Martinez. It’s this type of determination that has lead to his third film, Let It Be. … read more
Rejected
Two summers ago, I made a contact at Thrasher Magazine. It was just an email to one of their long-time staff photographers, but it was an in, and I felt like I had found a secret passage to the holy grail. Being the ambitious photo geek that I am, I started shooting as much as I could, sending him all the best sequences I shot, but nothing ever seemed to make the cut. … read more